


"Snow? In My Insomnia?" It's More Likely Than You Think!

by mako_lies (wingeddserpent)



Series: The Ruin [7]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Gladio really likes outdoor living ok, Playing in the Snow, Snow Day, the real ship is gladio/outisde
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 07:11:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13002546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingeddserpent/pseuds/mako_lies
Summary: Scientists had been saying for years that Eos's climate would change because of the Glacian's murder, but no one could have predicted the two feet of snow that buried Insomnia.Gladio Amicitia was ready. He had his new shoeshoes and a magazine on snow shelters. (And, oh yeah, maybe some friends too.)





	"Snow? In My Insomnia?" It's More Likely Than You Think!

**Author's Note:**

> I have no good excuse for the title, really.
> 
> I originally attempted the angst prompt of sharing holiday memories after the passing of a loved one, but it turned into a tangled headcanon mess that was only tangentially related to your prompt. SO! Have some overenthusiastic outdoor-living buff!Gladio and his first snow day. I hope you like it!

There was snow in Insomnia. Meteorologists had been saying for years that weather patterns across all of Eos were likely to shift, what with the death of Shiva in the Empire and all. Gladio’d written a report about it for his tutor a few years ago, read all of Dr. Yeagre’s research about the changing environment, as well as reports by meteorologists from inside and outside of Gralea. The ones from Gralea had a challenge to dig up, but definitely worth it. So much speculation buried deep in Niff newspapers that it’d taken him days to translate. Modern Niff bore little resemblance to Medieval Niff. And his knowledge of the medieval stuff was basically regulated to the vocab from the great romances and ballads. 

When he wrote the report, he’d joked that maybe they’d finally get a snow day. Didn’t _actually_ think it’d happen though.

Looked like they were all onto something. Two feet of snow in two days was unprecedented in any of the histories. Insomnia hadn’t seen a blizzard since the Mystic had ruled, and records weren’t clear exactly how much snow had covered Insomnia and most of Lucis. But it had caused a terrible famine. Hopefully this would be a one and done type of thing.

Gladio wiped sweat from his brow with his forearm. He checked one of the sticks that were poking out of the top of his quinzee. Was the roof thick enough?  Yep. Perfect. Gladio pulled the last of the sticks from the roof, then tossed them aside. He grabbed his small shovel again and examined the tall, mushroom-shaped mound of snow. At the front was a small hole just big enough for him to crawl through. He’d be willing to bet that it was much easier to make a snow structure for a normal-sized person, instead of a him-sized one.

Gladio gently finished hollowing out the center. Smoothing out the walls with his gloved hands. Double checking that the bottom was strong enough to bear the weight. His quinzee was almost too small. His head only barely cleared the ceiling when he sat, but for a first effort, it wasn’t bad.

Unless it collapsed on him.

Then it’d be a shitty first try. One Iris’d never let him live down. Plus, she’d tell the guys. And once Iggy got dirt on you, your life was as good as over.

Gladio used the shovel, then his hands, to smooth out two elevated snow beds. One for him and one for Iris if she ever finished her homework. Or got frustrated with dad’s undivided attention. Whichever came first. But given how rare dad’s attention was even divided, Gladio figured they'd be studying history most of the day. 

When the two beds were packed down, he grabbed the shovel again. Carefully—if it collapsed now, after his hours of work, Gladio’d lose his one chance of building a quinzee for the foreseeable future—he dug out a small trench between the beds. A place for the cold air to funnel out.

Next, he poked ventilation shafts in the top. Sweat drenched him. Made his snow gear cling to him like a freezing second skin. Time to change, beforehypothermia took him in the backyard. Dad would never let him live that down. Gladio crawled out of the quinzee, and just had to stop to admire it. It wasn't tall or uniform, certainly not as perfect as the ones in the magazines, but he’d built it with his own hands and tools. Not bad for a first time. Wasn't like they got much opportunity to brave the snow in Insomnia.

A chill gust set his teeth to chattering. Enjoying the fruits of his labor could wait until he was dry.

 

When he entered the house, Dad and Iris were still at the table, pouring over history articles and books so she could re-write that report she’d bombed last week. He grinned at his sister. "Fightin' the good fight, kiddo?"

“Not a kid. You are. How's playing in the snow?" She didn't even glance at him. Spunky kid.

“See for yourself,” with maybe more pride than he intended, but hey. Building something by yourself _was_ something to be proud of.

Dad moved to the window first. “I see those magazines didn’t go to waste after all.” His typical dry amusement. “Nice work, son.”

"Wow, Gladdy! You made all that?" Iris pressed her face to the glass. "Can I go in? Please?"

A hint of that kid whine he’d never admit he missed sometimes. Gladio hid a smile. "Sure, but gotta finish your homework first. And make sure you're dressed for the snow. It's colder out than it looks." Gladio flexed his stiff fingers to get some blood flowing back into them. He grimaced. "I need to change. Need any help with homework?"

Gladio glanced at his dad for confirmation, who simply shook his head. It wasn’t often their dad had time to help with homework these days. "Enjoy your fort before it melts."

It wasn't a fort. It was a snow shelter. A quinzee. But he wasn't going to argue. His dad didn’t know or care as much about the great outdoors as he liked to pretend for Gladio’s sake. It was hilarious, but nice. Gladio headed upstairs to change into dry snow gear. The snow pants could stay, but the long underwear and shirts and pants he'd sweated into had to go. He re-bundled himself, enjoying the warmth of the house.

It was only the third time he could remember it snowing in Insomnia, and it had never snowed this hard before. He didn't remember it ever being this cold either. His mom had outright laughed when he’d asked for this snow stuff for his twenty-first birthday. “Dear, you realize that Insomnia is the warmest major city in the world? It hasn’t _actually_ snowed in generations, and Lucis doesn’t even have a decent mountain range to vacation at.” But the laugh had been loving, and when they’d visited her in Altissa—sure enough, she’d had more snow clothes than he could ever need waiting for him. She’d laughed. “Here you are, darling,” and pulled him down to kiss his temple.

Layered up again, he grabbed the book off his nightstand and slapped a waterproof book cover on it. He slipped his gloves back on.

Downstairs, dad handed him Iris's waterproof lunch bag. "Fuel up while you're out there. Be careful. I don’t want it to collapse while you’re inside. It’s probably going to start warming up soon. Make sure you keep a shovel in there at all times and keep an eye on the temperature.”

Apparently they’d both read the manual. Gladio grinned at his dad. It was good, solid advice. "Dunno if all three of us'll fit, but come on in once you and Iris finish up.”

Iris stopped writing. "Gladdy, you know you're still in the city, right? Are you gonna sleep in that thing?"

“Nah. It probably won’t stay cold enough, and I’ve never made one before, so I don’t really want to test it in my sleep, y’know.”

Next time, he'd make a bigger one. Maybe if he could ever go out and visit their Mom in the winter, she could take him up to the mountains in northern Accordo. And he'd have a reason to really try out all the things she had bought him.

 

Gladio squeezed himself back into the quinzee, with his food, book, and his shovel. Then he spread himself on one of the snowbeds. The lunchbox had jerky, some chocolate, a sports drink, trail mix, and some string cheese in it. He gnawed on the jerky. Time to start on his book. Maybe he’d be able to finish it today.Lily, the beautiful and elegant diplomat, was just realizing her obvious feelings for the charming cook. He grinned.

Iris hated all of the romances that he'd lent her. Something about them being too boring and girly. But she was the one missing out.

Lily complained to her best friend, the lady knight, about how the talented cook could only hate her after she had spilled his wonderful soup all over him. Cold soup, luckily, but still a tragedy in the court politics of this world. Gladio downed the sports drink as he read:

 

_"Oh, Cassie, I cannot believe what a fool I am. To trip as I did! And I ruined the meal he had prepared for the visiting Princess~! What a fool, I!"_ _Lily_ _dabbed at her eyes with a_ _silken_ _handkerchief._

_Cassie shook her head. "If he is the type of man to mind such a thing, then he is a man unworthy of your time."_

_It was such a kind sentiment, but easy enough for a woman like Cassie to say. Bold and perfect and strong and utterly wonderful. She could have her pick of any in the palace. Even the Prince fancied her._ _Lily_ _, for all her charms, couldn't be as particular. Still, a fool's fancy. Her marriage would be arranged by her family to further their connections. Whatever dalliance she hoped for with_ _Edgar_ _, it surely could never be._

 

Time passed as he read. Inside the quinzee, it wasn’t that cold, but his breath still rose in white bursts. He unlocked his phone to check the temperature, and that's when he saw the group texts. 

 

[Noctis] Gladio hey you should come over. We need you.

[Prompto] bored we just beat our game

[Noctis] Specs is coming too. When was the last time we all had free time to hang out?

[Prompto] plus snow omfg snooooowwwww~!!!!

 

Gladio shook his head. If he knew those two at all, they had stayed up late playing games. Way too late for Prompto to catch the bus home even if they hadn’t been cancelled by the snow. He'd bet that they only got up an hour or so ago. Still, it was only noon. Early by Noct’s standards. Prompto was actually turning out to be a good influence. 

 

[Gladiolus] How is Iggy getting there? He can't drive in this weather.

[Noctis] !!!! I thought you were ignoring us.

{Noctis] But idk. He's Specs.

[Prompto] flying prolly

[Gladiolus] And how do you expect me to get there?

[Noctis] Your house is only like two miles from here, dude!

[Prompto] and everyone knows you never skip leg day

 

That wasn't strictly true, but if he told them that, Noctis would take it as an excuse to skip training. Still, good excuse to take his snowshoes for a spin. And they were right. It had been too long since they'd had time to hang out, all four of them. With Ignis's tests, and Gladio's training, and Noctis's duties, and Prompto's job. A day with the guys sounded better than reading all day in his quinzee. He closed his book then devoured the last of the cheese.

 

[Gladiolus] I'll be there when I can. Shouldn't be long. But we're gonna get you out of the house. Noct, find Prompto some things for the snow, all right? And Iggy, if you're reading this, bring some things for the snow, too.

[Ignis] Roger. I’ll see you soon.

 

Gladio took his things and crawled out of the quinzee. Inside, his sister was still reading, using different colored highlighters to mark main ideas, people, times, and stuff. The same critical reading strategy Dad had taught him. Gladio pressed his cold fingers against her cheek. "Keep at it, kiddo. It'll get easier."

She shrieked and swung at him. Somebody outside of their family probably’d have gone flying from her fist, but he dodged without thinking. She grumbled with all the menace of a teenage girl, which was a lot. “Get bored of your snow house?" Iris asked, capping her orange highlighter. 

"Nah. Headed out to see Noct and the guys. They're hopeless without me."

Their Dad snorted from where he was making tea. He said, "It's a shame Prince Noctis doesn't have more of a yard at the apartment. You could help him build a—what's it called again?"

"Quinzee, Dad," Gladio grinned. His dad, while he could survive in the wildness just fine, didn't exactly love the outdoors. Said it reminded him too much of his time on the Front. Gladio hadn't pressed. It was all right if his dad didn't love his hobby, as long as he supported Gladio. "Is it legal to snowshoe in the city?"

"Ah... I assume so? But you know that—you are in the city... You probably don't need the snowshoes..." he said gently.

Gladio shrugged. “Not about need. I just wanna try them out. Not sure when I'm going to get the chance again, you know?"

His dad shook his head with a fond laugh. "I suppose so. If you get stopped by anyone, just have them call me."

Being Shield and nobility really did have its perks. Though he was almost positive there was no law against snowshoeing in the city as long as he didn't disrupt traffic or destroy property. Anyway, who would have done it before him to get it banned, anyway. 

"Can I still go inside your fort thing?" Iris asked.

"Sure. Just check the temperature first, all right? If it's higher than negative two, it's not safe. And make sure you keep the shovel in there so you can dig yourself out, okay?" He ruffled her hair.

Their dad nodded. "I'll go in with her, don't worry."

Gladio grinned, then went to get his snowshoes from upstairs. He packed another few changes of clothes, then stashed the bags in the Armiger. On his way out, he snagged another few sports drinks and more jerky. "See you later."

His family waved him out.

 

He got ready in the front yard. Most people in Insomnia didn’t have one, but the perks of belonging to an old family. Gladio strapped his snowshoes to his boots. He took a couple experimental steps. Insomnia was mostly flat. Flat flat flat. The easiest way to learn how to snowshoe was on even terrain, according to the magazine. But damn, he wanted to snowshoe up a mountain next. He itched for the challenge.

Widen his stance to account for the snowshoes. And—walk. No poles or fancy maneuvering required. He’d just have to be careful not to get in the way of pedestrians or anyone crazy enough to be out driving in this mess. Gladio didn’t think he’d be limber enough to jump out of the way of a spun-out car in these things.

Still, a nice walk through the city was nothing to spit at.

The city was quieter than usual. Very little traffic, despite the plows and salt-trucks that had been through. Seemed that everyone who could stay in, had stayed in. Most businesses looked closed, he noted, as he made his way out of the residential areas to the more commercial ones.

He couldn't recall a time the city had been so quiet. So lifeless. They called Insomnia the city that never slept for good reason, but it looked as sleepy as Noct did after training.

The roads had been plowed at some point but more snow had accumulated since then. How many plows did they even have in the city? Tire tracks. Some cars had gone through, but there were places where cars had careened off the road and later been rescued. He saw more than a few wrecks in the ditches on the way to the royal apartment.

Mainly he saw kids. All the schools had been cancelled for the last two days. Good excuse for them to get some exercise. 

Sledding wherever there was even hint of a slope. Snow men. Snow messengers. Snow ball fights. Kid’s laughter sounded in every neighborhood he passed. Sometimes they waved at him. Sometimes they pelted him with snowballs. If he hadn’t been in such a good mood, he might have thrown some back. But he was an adult now. Couldn’t go assaulting children.

So Gladio kept to the sidewalk and didn’t retaliate. Sometimes, he had to move to the side of the sidewalk, if there wasn’t enough snow coverage left from people walking. Despite his legs feeling the burn after the first mile, it was still good. Amazing. He really wanted to try his mettle on the mountains. 

 

He reached Noct’s place all too soon, but also just in time. The chill slid up his spine like fingers, curling against his sweat-slick skin.

The one thing about the cold was that you couldn’t wander around without a shirt. He didn’t like how bulky all these layers felt. Even if the snow was worth it, it was still an odd feeling to be bundled up like this. 

Gladio had just mashed the button to ring up to Noct’s place when a stinging snow ball hit him smack in the back of the head. Ugh. He might have known. The little shits. Right. 

He had two options.

One: finish this before they had any chance to really start it and accept the hit to his mobility because of the snowshoes. Might not be that easy though. There was about a 50% chance that Ignis was helping them. Iggy could destroy him if Gladio wasn’t on the top of his game.

Two: he unlatched his snowshoes and took the initial beating like an Amicitia. Then he could smash them into the snow. Honestly, it mostly depended on if they had Iggy on their side or not. Noct and Prompto together couldn’t take him, that much was certain.

Better not to chance Iggy’s wrath. Gladio’d been on the receiving end of Ignis’s ire more times than he cared to admit. He bent to unlatch his snowshoes.

Three snowballs pelted him at once, and he couldn’t dodge or he’d risk unbalancing. Two to the shoulders, one to the top of the head. Either Prompto’s aim was as good as his gaming habits suggested, or Iggy was helping them. Still too early to tell. He tossed his snowshoes over to the side of the building, as two more hit him in the chest.

Oh, it was so on.

Gladio moved in the direction the snowballs had come from: clustered near the three or four trees that dotted the tiny green lawn, which separated the apartment building from the parking lot. A few cars were buried in the snow by the street.

Right. They were probably hiding behind the trees. Noct might be up one. They’d just kicked him of his fear of heights, and he’d want to show off for Prompto.

Too many people had come and gone. Too many tracks crisscrossed the snow in all directions for him to tell exactly where Noct and Prompto had gone. He dashed through the snow toward the trees, just as he saw the tell-tale flash of blue that meant Noct had warped. He glanced up at the tree: a tall, beautiful, evergreen, and that was when two more snowballs hit him: one in the shoulder, one in the stomach. But neither of them came from above. Either Prompto was an amazing and coordinated shot, or Iggy was with him.

“Watch out, Gladio!” Noct called down with a laugh. “Can’t take your eyes off the enemy, right?”

“Yeah. Though not much of an enemy if you’ve gotta do this sneaky shit.”

Gladio’d focus on Prompto for now. Noct would be easy enough to bring down, even if Gladio had to climb up after him. Gladio packed a snowball as he ran. Time for him to get some shots in. Show them how to throw.

“What’s the matter, Gladio? Not gonna come up here after me?” Noct hollered. As a distraction, it was a poor one. For once, Gladio had other targets.

That familiar blonde head peeked up over the hood of a car. Gladio neatly dodged the oncoming snowball, then threw one himself. It splattered in Prompto’s hair, flattening some of his spikes. Hadn’t Noct had a hat to give him? They needed to make this quick before somebody actually died.

A snowball hit him in the back of the head. Noct. In the tree. Prompto cackled. “Nice shot, dude! Keep it up~!”

“Constant vigilance, Gladio~! Come on, get your head in the game!” So Noct did listen in training. Good to know. Still. Noct's aim and reach wasn't better than Prompto's. 

“Yeah, and I gotta focus on the tougher opponent first. Wait your turn, _Prince_ Noctis!” Gladio called back at him.

Prompto popped up to throw another snowball, then seemed to realize, finally, how quickly Gladio was forging through the snow. At least he was smart enough not to throw the damn thing. He yelped and finally started running. But his coordination was bad on flat, dry ground. It was slow going for him in this slick powder. Good. They moved further out of Noct's reach. Noct'd have to warp closer if he wanted to actually hit anything.

He pushed after Prompto and Prompto—still wearing his sneakers, for fuck's sake—couldn't get through the snow faster than Gladio could. He shrieked. Threw his last snowball. It connected with Gladio's face, stinging and blinding and freezing, but it didn't matter. Gladio tackled him to the ground, the snow cushioning their landing. Prompto screeched as Gladio ground him down into the soft powder; poor kid probably had it down his shirt. Nothing worse than snow down your shirt. Except maybe snow down your pants.

Prompto’s flushed face was so near Gladio’s, even as he struggled against Gladio’s firm hold. “Dude, not fair! It’s a snow ball fight, not snow homicide!”

“Yeah, well. If you wanted to play fair, you shouldn’t have started out by cheating.”

Another snowball collided with the back of Gladio’s head. Behind him, the telltale sound of Noct warping. Kid had taken way too long to come help his friend. They’d need to work on that in training. Another snowball. Gladio glanced back down at Prompto who just—kept at it. Kid had tenacity. Had to with Noct, probably, but it was an important trait.

Still, there was no way he was getting loose, but that didn’t seem to deter him in the slightest. Gladio shifted his hold on his wrists to one hand, then used his free hand to press Prompto’s head deeper into the snow. “Give it up, kiddo. You have some slick moves, but you gotta be faster if your aim’s gonna do you any good.”

“All right, all right.” His teeth chattered. “I give, I give.”

Probably for the best. Noct didn’t have much in the way of snow gear, and it looked like Prompto was wearing cotton and nothing waterproof. His clothes were probably soaked through. They needed to get him inside, and quick. “You okay?” Gladio asked as yet another snowball hit him in the back. Seriously, Noct.

“Y-yeah. Cold n-never bothered me anyway~!”

How many years had it been, and they were all stuck on that movie? It was a good movie, but still. He shoved off Prompto, then twirled to face Noct. Noct was beside the tree now instead of in it. His fear of heights had probably kicked in. He held another snowball up. Then locked eyes with Gladio. His mouth twisted in realization of his mistake, the way it always did before Gladio connected a sweet blow in training.

Gladio scooped up snow as he ran, packing loose snowballs that he threw haphazardly, more a spray of snow than anything resembling a ball. Noct ran, but not fast enough. Gladio stretched out his snowy hands and tackled Noct into the snow, too. Careful of the curb and cars. Noct, of course, had much more training in grappling than Prompto did. He twisted like a snake beneath Gladio’s hands. Tried to get his legs up between them.

But even in training, Noct had never been able to beat Gladio. Not yet. He could win a spar, but if Gladio got him down onto the mat, it was over. And both of them knew it.

Gladio smirked, and Noct was close enough that Gladio could count his eyelashes as he rolled his eyes. “Give up?”

A snowball hit him in the back of the head. Prompto. “Don’t give up, Noct! You’re not _noct_ out yet!”

He didn’t turn to look, even though his hat was totally soaked through with snow at this point. Prompto was a real good shot. Noctis struggled, almost escaping. It wasn’t enough. Gladio smirked down at him. “Give up?”

The next snowball caught Noct’s shoulder. He yelped, “Hey! Whose side are you on?”

“My bad, my bad!” Prompto called, but he didn’t sound sorry.

‘Course he didn’t. He knew who the winner was gonna be. Like there’d ever been any doubt, especially since there was no sign of Iggy. And everybody knew Iggy couldn’t resist coming out when puns were in play. Man had an addiction.

Gladio used Noct’s distraction to get him into a headlock. Seriously. They needed to get into the training room more. Sure it was cold, but this was pathetic.

“All right, all right! I yield. Let go, Gladio!” Noct almost shrieked.

The moment he did, Prompto appeared to help Noct to his feet. Gladio was just turning, when—a shock of cold slid down his collar. Snow. From behind him. He twisted his neck just to get more snow down his collar. And there was Iggy. Naturally. Just biding his time while Gladio spent himself on the other two. Clever. And now he was soaked through. Water dripping down his back in stinging streams of cold. Nothing worse than that. (Although Iggy’d probably go for the pants next, because the man was a sadist.) “Let it go, Gladio,” Iggy said, another snowball in hand. With his slim gloves, he looked almost prim. 

Did he really want to go through all the trouble of beating Ignis when they could go inside and get warm? His pride said yes, but he was smarter than that today. “All right, Iggy. I give. You guys win.”

Ignis smiled archly. “I do believe there’s hot chocolate waiting for us inside.” Man was a saint. He had damn dirty tactics, but Gladio wouldn’t have him any other way.

 

Prompto and Noctis changed into their pajamas. Noct into his assassin’s whatever set with the dorky hood. Prompto in some set of Noct’s that had coeurls on it. Cute.

Ignis, being Ignis, made them eat and shower before the hot chocolate, but he was kind enough to cook. No way was Gladio complaining about that. Especially because the soup was thick and hot. Noct didn’t even complain about the vegetables, he was so frozen. And Prompto was too exhausted to document the momentous occasion. 

After dinner, Noct and Prompto sat at the foot of the couch. Ignis pressed a mug of hot chocolate into Gladio’s hands. He smiled up at him from where he was sprawled on the couch. “You’re the best, Iggy.”

“Naturally.”

“Dude, did you really snowshoe all the way here? In the city?” Prompto asked over his own mug.

Noctis pressed up against Prompto’s side. “‘Course he did. You said yourself didn’t you, he never skips leg day.”

He elbowed Prompto in the ribs, and Prompto leaned away, flush curling up his cheeks. “Yeah, but—snowshoes, dude. That’s like, crazy mountain man stuff, isn’t it?” He frowned, looked at Gladio. “Actually… Is that your dream? Grow a crazy beard and live in a cabin in the woods by yourself?”

Did have its appeal. Especially if he built the cabin first. “Maybe not all by myself.”

Noct grinned and snuggled up beside Gladio. Warm against his side. Gladio shifted to make room for him, only to be immediately flanked by Prompto as well. Sneaky cuddle monsters, the both of them. “Awwww. Thanks, Gladio. We love you too, you know,” Noct teased.

“Hey, I was talking about my sister.”

Ignis laughed and perched on the armrest of the couch, curled around his own mug as though to protect it. With Noct and his never-ending love of the stuff, probably a safe bet. It was Iggy’s own fault. Guy couldn’t resist the puppy eyes. Hell, Gladio usually couldn’t either. What hope did Ignis have? “Oh, certainly. But I dare say, we should simply join you. You shan’t be rid of us, I’m afraid.”

Warmth shot up through Gladio like lightning. Probably just the hot chocolate. But maybe when he visited his mom, he’d see if they could go too. Explore the mountains of Accordo together. “Yeah! Can’t be rid of us that easily!” Prompto leaned his head against Gladio’s side.

“Well, you might regret it when you’re living up in the mountains,” he teased right back.

Noct slurred into Gladio’s shoulder, “Don’t mind if I can sleep.” 

Looked like he was already most of the way there. Not that Gladio could blame him. After everything—he was tired, too. “You want the bed bed or the sofa bed, Iggy?” Gladio asked.

“I’ll see His Highness to bed. Will the two of you manage out here?” asked Ignis.

“Dudes,” Prompto held up his hands, “Noct’s bed is like, ginormo. We’ll all fit. This sofa bed is like, such a pain in the ass to get in and out. Lets just share.”

Sharing. With the world’s stingiest blanket hog, Ignis. But Gladio ached from the quinzee and the snowshoeing and the everything about today. Even the shower hadn’t helped. Maybe he should have more leg days if he was this sore. “As long as Iggy doesn’t take all the blankets.”

“I would neve-“

“Specs, you _always_ take the blankets,” said Noct, more alert than he’d ever been in his life.

Prompto giggled. “That settles it. Come on!”

Noct’s bed was an Altissian King (why it was called that when Altissia hadn’t had kings since—what the rule of the Just?—anyway?). And it was huge. Maybe not fit-all-four-of-them-comfortably huge, but close enough they could fudge the difference. Gladio sprawled on the side nearest the door. Just in case. Prompto squeezed in between Gladio and Noct, and Iggy curled up on the other side. Had to. Noct was the only one who didn’t wake up when Iggy stole the blankets. And Gladio and Noctis were the ones who could tolerate Prompto’s constant shifting. They’d learned that on Noct’s 18th birthday, when he’d insisted on having a sleepover in his bed. Like normal kids. Or what he’d convinced all of them normal kids did.

As ever, Noct was first asleep, Iggy petting through his hair as Prompto cuddled up against Gladio’s back. Apparently they were doing this. Gladio’d never been the little spoon before, but moving was the most terrible thing he could imagine. His eyes drooped. “This okay?” Prompto whispered.

“Don’t sweat it,” Gladio grumbled.

Prompto huffed a laugh. Least Gladio could do. Kid seemed affection starved on a good day. He was pretty tight-lipped about his home life, but Gladio had some guesses. And if it was an excuse for cuddles, well. Nobody would begrudge him that, he was sure.

Nobody that mattered, anyway. He was already looking forward to waking up with all three of them tomorrow. Maybe they could have a rematch. Or maybe Iggy would make breakfast and more hot chocolate.

Prompto squeezed tighter, like he knew that was Gladio’s weakness, and he was so warm, so comfortable—all he could do was drift off, anticipating tomorrow. 


End file.
